It's a Hard Life After All
by funnygirlOoObroadwaybaby
Summary: Rizzo's all grown up and facing the challenges of adult life. Leaving her abusive husband, she takes her daughter back to Rydell and sees many familiar faces along the way, some of which she had hoped never to see again.
1. It Would Be Less Painful

It was pitch black when Betty Rizzo made it home on a cold winter Sunday night. Part of her wanted to stay outside and freeze to death, at least that would be less painful than what might happen inside. It wasn't the hitting that was painful, she could take the hitting. It was listening to her frightened daughter, Margaret, cry that brought tears to her own eyes. Rizzo had never been a softy, but when it came to Maggs, she would melt. It broke her heart every time her daughter would ask "are you okay Mommie?" and Margaret would look up with her big watering blue eyes. Riz would crawl into bed with Margaret and rock her back and forth until they eventually both stopped crying and fell asleep.

It was quiet as Rizzo opened the door but to her own misery, she heard her husband, Richard, stomping up the stairs, into the kitchen, and into the fridge to get yet another beer. It was when he drank that their worst fights happened. Once, after he had come home from a party, he locked Margaret in her room and had sent Rizzo to the emergency room with a broken wrist. Tonight would be one of those nights where she would try to go straight to bed. She slowly closed the door, attempting to be quiet. Not quiet enough.

"Where the hell have you been?" Rich hollered as he stormed down the hallway, in her direction.

"I was at work." Rizzo replied, trying to sound obedient. She looked at the floor, as if by not looking at him, he wouldn't touch her.

"Damn it Betty, its 11 o'clock!" He slapped her across the face, forcing her to look up. "Look at me when I talk to you!"

Margaret had apparently heard the slap, because Riz could hear her daughters distant whimpering. Rizzo's cheeks burned cherry red, but more from fury than from the stinging slap.

"What were you doing at work until 11 o'clock!" Richard hollered before chugging the rest of his beer.

"I needed to work overtime to make up for the time I was out." Rizzo had been out of work for a couple of weeks, she had gotten very sick, and took care of herself. She hadn't noticed how quiet she had spoken until Richard said something about it.

"What?! I can't hear you! Speak up when you talk to me!!!" Richard shouted and threw his beer bottle on the floor and it broke into tiny-little pieces with an ear piercing shatter that sent Margaret into hysterics. Rizzo wanted to run to her, put her arms around her, and tell her every thing would be okay, but she didn't, because as she turned Richard grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Don't walk away from me!! Where have you been!?"

Rizzo could feel her eyes filling up with tears, but to her luck, sort of, the TV announced the football game was coming back on, and he pushed her away.

"We'll talk about this later." He threatened, and turned to get another beer, and go back and laze on the couch.

Riz's fingers searched the back of her head, where it had hit the corner of a picture frame. She was looking for blood, but luckily, she didn't find any.

"Are you okay Mommie?" Rizzo quickly turned around to find Maggs standing at the door way from the bedroom hall way.

"Yes Baby, thank you." Rizzo knelt down and held out her arms. Margaret ran over and threw her arms around her mother. Rizzo had to get them out of there, but how. Rich kept a roof over their heads and supplied them with money. Rizzo was only paid 7 dollars a week for working at a bar downtown. She couldn't support Maggs on her own, what was she going to do.


	2. But it Was

"Honey, go put that back, we can't buy the whole store." Rizzo said when Margaret brought over another box of cereal. They had already gone over they're regular budget but Rich had said to get 4 more boxes of beer than usual.

"Mom, look!" Margaret yelled and ran over to a pile of apples. "Lets get some!" Margaret grabbed the biggest, reddest apple from the very bottom of the pile, and all the other apples came rolling down onto the floor.

"Oh, God!" Rizzo ran over and picked up Margaret and moved her out of the way so she could get the apples quickly before anyone else saw. She picked the apples up the fastest she could and when she stood up, she couldn't see where Maggs had gone.

"Margaret?... MARGARET!" Rizzo ran from isle to isle looking for her daughter when someone else behind her got her attention.

"Um... Excuse me, Ms. is this your daughter?"

"Margaret!" Rizzo scooped Margaret off the floor and gave her a big hug.

"I was just getting the milk." Maggs said as if it were the most normal thing in the world for a 4 year old to go off by herself.

"Thank you so much." Rizzo said and looked up at the woman for the first time. She looked strangely familiar. She was blonde, and compared to Rizzo, she was tall. And she had a British accent. Could it be, no it couldn't be... But it was.

"Sandy?" Rizzo said with total shock. She looked the same as she did four years ago, when they were in 12th grade.

The woman's eyes scanned Rizzo, trying to remember someone who remembered her.

"Rizzo?" Sandy said. The two woman could not believe it. How was it possible that they were in the same place at the same time? Rizzo had moved from Rydell right after they graduated, so they hadn't seen each other sense.

"Oh my gosh, how have you been?" Sandy asked.

"Uh, fine. How about you?" Rizzo didn't let the lie show on her face. She hasn't been "fine", she's been miserable, but she's not one to complain.

"Great! Danny and I finally got married, and the rest of the gang tied the knot too."

"Oh, really?" Rizzo shifted Maggs to her other side.

"Yeah, Frenchy married Doody, Jan married Putzie, but Marty never got married and I haven't heard from Sonny for a while, and Kenickie..." Sandy stopped talking. She knew what she had just done and she wished she hadn't done it. Rizzo set Maggs down in the cart.

"Well, we'll have to get together again to talk." Rizzo said, changing the subject. She took out a pencil and note pad and wrote down her number. "Here's my work number. My home phone is... out of order. I'm at work a lot, so you can reach me there almost all day."

"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow at 5, okay? We'll set something up then." Sandy said, taking the number from Rizzo.

"Alright, talk to you then." Rizzo started to push her cart as she waved goodbye to Sandy.

"Mommie, who was that?" Margaret asked

"A friend of mine from when I was in school. You'll probably see her again real soon." Rizzo started to load the groceries onto the counter.


	3. Rydell Road?

"Hello, Double Shots bar and grill." Rizzo said into the phone.

"Hey, Rizz? It's Sandy!" said the voice on the other end of the conversation.

"Oh... Hey."

"So I was thinking we could get together at my house soon! When works for you?" Sandy asked, very excited.

Rizzo thought for a moment about when she might be free, free from Rich anyway, when she remembered Rich had a poker game this coming Monday.

"Um, how about this Monday? I'll be free from 1-7," Rizzo said. "but, I don't have a babysitter for Margaret."

"Oh! Bring her with you! That way we can keep my daughter occupied too. Margaret is, what, 4? She's still in the "crazy for babies" stage right? Well, she can play with Anne. She's only 8 months old."

"First off, Maggs will love that. And second, Zuko, a father? Wow, I never woulda thought." Here comes the old, smart mouth Betty Rizzo. Someone who had been silenced after letting it slip with Rich and getting punished for it.

Sandy laughed.

"Ya, and he's a good one at that. Oh, I have to go but I'll see you monday. I live on 23 Rydell Road."

"Rydell Road? Isn't the school on that street?"

"Ya, we never got far! I'll see you then?"

"Um... yes, see you then."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Rizzo heard the other end of the receiver click. She was going back to Rydell. She never thought that would happen.


	4. A Small Reunion

**I finally finished editing Chapter 4, I hope you guys like it! Please review!**

'*'

Rizzo counted the house numbers as she drove down Rydell Drive. _Twenty-one, twenty-two, there it is, twenty-three. _Rizzo felt her heart leap into her throat as she pulled into the driveway. She checked her makeup in the mirror to make sure she had covered the bruises enough. Rizzo opened the door and slowly stood up. After over an hour in the car, her legs had stiffened. She walked around to the back seat and opened the door. She unbuckled the sleeping Margaret's seatbelt and slowly picked her up. Maggs was getting heavier every day and Rizzo struggled to keep her up when she heard a door open, and then close behind her. The foot steps got closer and closer, and once she was sure she wouldn't drop Maggs, she turned around. And there was Danny, as cute as ever. All spick-n-span with a gray suite and a neat hair cut. _Boy, had he changed._ He reached over and grabbed Margaret, then leaned in and kissed Rizzo on the cheek.

"We missed you, kid." He whispered before turning around and heading back to the house.

She followed him inside. The house was beautiful, 3 stories, clean, and not falling apart. It was the total opposite of her hell hole. Danny pointed to a door, silently letting Rizzo know Sandy was in there, and then turned into the living room, setting Margaret down on the couch covering her with a blanket.

Rizzo walked into the room Danny had pointed out to find it was the kitchen, and sure enough, there was Sandy, spoon feeding a pudgy little baby mushed peas.

"Hey! I'm glad you could make it!" Sandy ran across the room to Rizzo and gave her a hug.

"Where is Margaret?" Sandy asked, looking around and behind Rizzo to see if Margaret had been tagging behind.

"She fell asleep in the car, Danny brought her into the living room." Rizzo said, "And this must be Anne!" She walked over to the baby in the highchair.

"Yep, I was just finishing feeding her." Sandy walked to the sink and grabbed a wash cloth and wiped all of the food off of Anne's face that had missed her mouth. "Here." Sandy picked up Anne and handed her to Rizzo.

"Hey baby," Rizzo bounced Anne up and down as she walked over to a chair. She hadn't seen a baby since Maggs had been that age, and she missed it. As Rizzo sat down, Sandy started the coffee.

"So, how's life treated ya?" Sandy asked. She stretched her arm as long as she could to reach the coffee mugs on the top shelf of the cabinet.

"Good." Rizzo answered. Lying was so easy while she was contently playing with Anne.

"Really." Sandy turned around, she was dead serious this time. This shocked Rizzo, she didn't think Sandy would question her. She wasn't just trying to make small talk anymore. "I can see the bruises, I can hear the pain in your voice, and I can see the pain in your eyes when I ask you about your home. Whats going on, Betty?"

"Where do you want me to put Anne?" Rizzo asked, her voice cracking, trying not to cry.

"The nursery is on the second floor; 1st door on the right."

Rizzo walked upstairs, slowly. She turned into the nursery and slowly laid Anne down in the crib. She leaned over the side and felt the warm tears roll down her eyes. She didn't want to talk about home, she didn't want to think about home, but she knew Sandy wouldn't let it go. Why did everyone have to change so much. She became a wimp, Sandy became headstrong, and Danny became the perfect gentleman. Where had she gone wrong? She knew; when she met Kenickie, that night in the back of his junk mobile, the day when she told Marty that she thought she MIGHT be pregnant, and the day she told Kenickie she WASN'T pregnant. These were all mistakes. Would she be able to say them out loud without having to say them in between sobs? She couldn't cry in front of Sandy, she couldn't cry in front of anyone. She HADN'T cried in front of anyone other than Margaret, and now, Anne, and she was too young to tell.

Once she had gotten a hold of herself she walked back downstairs, stopping in the living room to cover Maggs with the blanket she had kicked on to the floor. Rizzo then walked back into the kitchen.

"So, are we going to finish our conversation?" Sandy asked as soon as Rizzo had crossed the threshold.

"Sure," Rizzo sat down, biting her tongue. "what do you wan't to know?"

"Are you happy?" Sandy set down two cups of coffee, one in front of Rizzo and one in front of her own seat. She sat down and starred deeply into Rizzo's eyes, as if trying to read her thoughts.

"The truth?" Rizzo asked, stalling.

Sandy nodded. "The complete truth."

"I am happy. I'm happy I have Margaret, I'm happy I have a roof over my head, I'm happy I have food to feed and money to clothe my daughter... and I'm happy I got back in touch with you." Rizzo answered, completely honestly.

"But are you happy with your marriage?" Sandy wouldn't give up.

"No, but I deal."

"Does he love you?"

"No."

"Do you love him?"

"...no."

"Then why don't you leave?" Sandy leaned forward, as if by doing so, she would hear the answer better.

"It's not that simple, Sandy." Rizzo whispered. "Where would I go? And with what money? And," with this, Rizzo spoke very quietly, painfully keeping the sobs back that were soon to erupt from her. "think about what he might do if he found me leaving." Rizzo couldn't help it anymore. With that thought, her pride and her dignity went out the window as she started to sob.

"Oh, Rizzo." Sandy stood up and walked over to Rizzo's seat. She put her arm around her and let her cry. They sat there for what felt like 20 minutes while what had been bottled up inside Rizzo for 3 years came pouring out.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do!" Rizzo cried. "I just can't take it anymore!" Rizzo cried even harder and Sandy rocked her back and forth, like Rizzo would do to Margaret to get her to calm down. Sandy had never seen Rizzo like this before, she had to find a way to help her.

'*'


	5. We Hear the Story

**So, I didn't have time to fully edit this because SOMEONE couldn't wait for it to be up! U know who u are! Hehe 3 Enjoy!**

As Rizzo drove home, she couldn't stop thinking about her conversation with Sandy. It just kept re-playing in her head. After she had stopped crying, she told Sandy everything. She told her about how she and Rich would get into fights about practically nothing, she told her about how hard he would hit her over the littlest things, and she told her about how he fooled her when they first met.

Rizzo had been working at a bar in downtown Rydell, 1 year after they all graduated. She wasn't living in Rydell but in the neighboring town. While she was on her shift, a group of smart-ass guys came in and pushed 4 tables together. Once they had all sat down, Rizzo made her way over to take their order. They treated her like a piece of meat: pinching her here, grabbing her there. Then, one of the few sober-looking men in the group stood up and told them all to knock it off. This man was Rich, pretending to be a kind, caring man. He had said to his buddies that Rizzo looked easy and bet them he could get in her pants before the night was over. He then offered to buy Rizzo a drink, and after a couple, she was ready to do anything, and she did.

He won the bet and she thought she won the love of her life. They married four weeks after that night in Las Vegas, a vacation she now desperately regretted. He used her for one thing and one thing only. He still does. Whenever he has a bad day, he forces Rizzo in the bedroom to "get him in a good mood" as he puts it. That is the only reason he will not let her leave, as he has told her. It's not because he loves her or Margaret, it's because he doesn't have anyone else to 'put him in a good mood.' There were multiple times Rizzo thought she was pregnant or sick with some sexually transmitted disease. Rich hadn't cared. He told her not to blame him for her own carelessness. He had never said carelessness of what, but that was mostly because he didn't know himself. She actually had gotten pregnant once and she didn't tell Rich. When he did find out, he ordered her to get an abortion, but she refused to kill her own child. That night she had taken such a beating, she felt it best to go see her doctor the next day. Her worse fears had come true, and the baby didn't survived the beating. Rizzo cried herself to sleep for the next few of months. It might have been half of Rich inside of her, but it was Rizzo's child he killed.

Rizzo pulled into the spot in her driveway that she always parked in. It was farthest away from the house, but Rich wanted the closer spot, and Rich got what he wanted. His car was not in the driveway and Rizzo let out a sigh of relief. She helped Margaret out of the car and held her hand as they walked over the slippery ice on the walkway to the door. She led Margaret into the house, and pulled the door closed against the strong wind.

"Uh oh." Margaret said under her breath. Rich charged through the door from the kitchen into the living room, stumbling a little from all the drinks he had had.

"Where were you?!" He hollered. _Oh shit_, Rizzo thought. He grabbed her shoulders like he had a few nights before, and shook her again.

"I was at a friend's house." Rizzo answered. Rizzo was frightened but not as frightened as usual, as if the talk with Sandy had taken away her fear, well, some of it anyway.

"What friend? A MAN?"

"No!" Rizzo shook free from his grasp. "And why would you care anyway! It's not like you like me, it's not like you want me..." Rizzo's voice grew louder with aggravation. "It's not like you love me! You don't now and you never have!" He jumped to grab a hold of her arm, but she pulled back, and hit him with a fist right on his jaw. He rubbed it for a second while Rizzo was frozen with fear, watching the fury build in his eyes. Then he pounced, like a lion and its prey. He chased her around the living room and finally got a hold of her. He grabbed her arms and flung her on to the floor, with the corner of a side table leaving a gash on her forearm on the way down.

Margaret grabbed Rizzo's purse and ran with it into the kitchen. She tried her best to match the numbers from the piece of paper Sandy had given them onto the phone. She began to shake when she heard a loud crash accompanied by a scream from Rizzo. The phone started to ring.

"Hello." The calmness in Sandy's voice clashed with the terror in Margaret's.

"Sandy! You have to come quick! Daddy's mad at Mommie!"

Sandy could hear the bustle in the background.

"Honey, calm down and tell me what's going on." She tried to stay calm but when she pictured the fights Rizzo had described to her, she had a horrible feeling this might end with a trip to the emergency room.

"We walked in and Daddy was here and he got mad and then Mommie yelled something at him and now they're fighting!"

"Okay," Sandy's voice shook. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Margaret hung up the phone and so did Sandy. She rushed around her house grabbing her coat and purse as she yelled to Danny what was going on and soon she was out the door and speeding down the road. She followed the directions Rizzo had written for her that afternoon, and she parked along the road when she got to Rizzo's apartment.

Sandy was in shock. How could anyone live here, she thought. The shutters were falling off there hinges and the shingles on the roof were peeling up.

As she stood up out of her car, she could already hear the fighting. She ran in the front door and flew up the steps to Rizz's apartment number. She knocked on the door repeatedly with no answer, and she could hear the fighting get worse. She heard Rizzo's crys and she could hear Richard yelling. Then she heard something shatter, so instead of waiting, she swung the unlocked door open.

No one was in the room until Rizzo came running through the hallway, out of breath and crying. When she spotted Sandy, it was if she had never met her before. It was like a light went on in her head when she finally recognized her.

"Sandy! What are you doing here!?" Rizzo worried what would happen if Rich caught Sandy here. "You gotta go, you can't be here!" She whispered and tried to push Sandy out the door.

"Get Margaret! Come with me!"

"What!?" Rizzo said in disbelief, "Rich'll kill me!"

"He'll kill you either way from the looks of it." Sandy looked at Rizzo. She looked awful. Her arm was bleeding horribly, her eye was puffing up, and she could see bruises starting to form on her pale skin.

"You need to leave!" Rizzo desperately tried harder and harder to get Sandy out of there, but she wouldn't budge.

"Margaret!" Sandy called.

"Shhhhh!" Rizzo shooshed Sandy, afraid Rich might hear her, but he didn't. Soon enough, Margaret came running through the door with two bags.

"I'm all ready! And I packed for you too Mommie!" Margaret shined a proud smile at her mother, who was trembling.

"Would someone tell me what the hell is going on here!" Rizzo shouted. She was hurt, confused, and scared, and that combination was making her sick.

"I'm gonna take you to my house where you'll be safe." Sandy told her.

"BETTY! YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW, YOU LITTLE BITCH!" The girls heard Richard's footsteps rushing down the hallway.

"Come on! NOW!" Sandy yelled and coaxed the startled Margaret through the door. Rizzo went to run but lost her balance. She was about to fall when Sandy grabbed her. Rizzo was going to puke from that sudden movement, but she held it back as she grabbed onto Sandy's arm to steady herself. Then, all three girls took off out the door, down the steps, and out the front door. Margaret ran to the back seat of the car with the two bags and jumped in as Sandy lead Rizzo to the passengers seat. Once she got Rizzo in the car, she ran to Rizzo's car and grabbed Margaret's car seat. She rushed back and jumped in the car and put the car seat on her lap. She then pulled away from the house and sped down the road.

Rizzo let out a desperate sigh of relief as they pulled away from her whole life, her old life. She watched the house get smaller and smaller until she couldn't see it any more, and she hoped to god, he would never find her.


	6. A Gift From the Devil Himself

"Owww..." Rizzo moaned at Sandy's kitchen table later that day. She held her head in her hands while Sandy fixed her an ice pack.

"Here, hold this on your eye." Sandy handed her the ice pack and Rizzo slowly pressed it against her puffy eye that had turned black and blue over the short hour she had been there.

"So," Rizzo started, trying to keep her mind off the pain, "tell me again why you came to the house." Sandy had told her before, but she mind had mostly been focused on her arm that was gushing blood.

"Well, you had been gone for a-half-an hour when I got a phone call from Maggs telling me to come right away because 'Daddy was mad at Mommie.'" Rizzo laughed at her daughters comment, not prepared for what would come next. "She doesn't know he's not her father, does she?" Sandy asked.

"No, she doesn't, and I'd like to keep it that way." Rizzo snapped. She was not in a good mood, her eye was killing her and she still felt her breakfast creeping up her throat.

"What if she meets him someday, Kenickie, I mean."

"She won't, I'll make sure of it."

Just then, as if a gift from the Devil himself, in walked Danny holding Maggs, followed by...

"Kenickie..." Rizzo breathed his name. She couldn't take the shock and she stood up, and ran from the table into the bathroom and emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

"Do you think she's happy to see me?" Kenickie said sarcastically. He hadn't changed.

'*'

Rizzo could not believe it. Kenickie looked exactly as he had in high school. She felt that old tingle rush through her body the way it had always done when she saw him. This couldn't be happening. Kenickie was sitting right across the table from her, and no one was talking. Sandy was giving Danny the evil eye from across the table. She had been very angry at Danny for bringing Kenickie over, but they decided to hold the fight off until after Kenickie left. They didn't want to be rude and kick him out, and Rizzo didn't want to be rude and hide in her room for the rest of the night. Kenickie apparently didn't notice how uncomfortable he was making Rizzo, or if he did, he didn't care.

"So how've things been?" He asked. Rizzo could tell he didn't care, and he was just making small talk. "Who beat you up?" Danny slapped Kenickie's arm. He didn't know about Rich. "What, did your hubby hurt you?" Kenickie joked. He didn't mean it, he didn't know, but when he saw the pain brought to Rizzo's face at that comment, even HE felt bad. He was no gentleman but he never hit any of his girlfriends.

"Hey, look." Kenickie started, "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Oh no, I'm fine." Rizzo said, covering up the pain that had followed someone actually saying it out loud.

"Ya, you look fine." Kenickie sarcastically pointed out, scanning Riz's face. She looked like hell.

Silence.

"Um, excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom." Rizzo stood up out of the chair, with the ice pack still pressed to her face, and left the kitchen, leaving Sandy, Kenickie, and Danny to talk.

"What the hell did that moron do to her?" Kenickie asked once Rizzo was out of hearing distance.

"They got in a fight." Sandy said.

"No shit sherlock." said Kenickie.

Sandy leaned back in her chair. Kenickie was one smart-mouthed-ass-hole sometimes.

"Can't you see how uncomfortable you're making Riz by being here? Don't you think you should leave before she up-chucks all over YOU this time?" Danny said, changing the subject.

Kenickie pushed back his chair and stood up.

"Ya, I'm gonna leave." Kenickie left the room. He rarely ever said goodbye and this was the first time in a long time he left without a girl on his arm.


	7. Nice to See You Again

Rizzo could not believe it. Kenickie looked exactly as he had in high school. She felt that old tingle rush through her body the way it had always done when she saw him. This couldn't be happening. Kenickie was sitting right across the table from her, and no one was talking. Sandy was giving Danny the evil eye from across the table. She had been very angry at Danny for bringing Kenickie over, but they decided to hold the fight off until after Kenickie left. They didn't want to be rude and kick him out, and Rizzo didn't want to be rude and hide in her room for the rest of the night. Kenickie apparently didn't notice how uncomfortable he was making Rizzo, or if he did, he didn't care.

"So how've things been?" He asked. Rizzo could tell he didn't care was just making small talk. "Who beat you up?" Danny slapped Kenickie's arm. He didn't know about Rich. "What, did your hubby hurt you?" Kenickie joked. He didn't mean it, he didn't know, but when he saw the pain brought to Rizzo's face at that comment, even HE felt bad. He was no gentleman but he never hit any of his girlfriends.

"Hey, look." Kenickie started, "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Oh no, I'm fine." Rizzo said, covering up the pain that had followed someone actually saying it out loud.

"Ya, you look fine." Kenickie sarcastically pointed out, scanning Riz's face. She looked like hell.

Silence.

"Um, excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom." Rizzo stood up out of the chair, with the ice pack still pressed to her face, and left the kitchen, leaving Sandy, Kenickie, and Danny to talk.

"What the hell did that moron do to her?" Kenickie asked once Rizzo was out of hearing distance.

"They got in a fight." Sandy said.

"No shit sherlock." said Kenickie.

Sandy leaned back in her chair. Kenickie was one smart-mouthed-ass-hole sometimes.

"Can't you see how uncomfortable you're making Riz by being here? Don't you think you should leave before she up-chucks all over YOU this time?" Danny said, changing the subject.

Kenickie pushed back his chair and stood up.

"Ya, I'm gonna leave." Kenickie left the room. He rarely ever said goodbye and this was the first time in a long time he left without a girl on his arm.


	8. Chapter 8

It was Rizzo's third day at Sandy's house and they hadn't heard from Richard, luckily. Sandy was at work, Danny was at work, Margaret was at school, and Anne was with the babysitter's house, so Rizzo was home alone when she heard a knock at the door. She walked over.

"Who is it?" She hollered through the wooden door.

"It's Danny I forgot my keys." A voice replied.

Rizzo opened the door... and then froze. It wasn't Danny at the door, it was Rich. How had he known Danny's name? He burst through the threshold and grabbed a hold of her.

"What the hell are you doing here!? You can't just up and leave on me! I'm your husband!" He pushed her down onto the couch and forced himself on her. "Ready for a good time?" he asked her. She could tell he had been drinking--- a lot. She could smell it on his breath when he talked and she could taste it when he kissed her. 'Oh, God!' Rizzo thought as Rich began to undress her.

"Help!" She tried to scream but he covered her mouth and nose.

"It's no use, Betty!" Rich said, and Rizzo blacked out.

'*'

"Riz, hello? Why is your door ope...." Kenickie came through the front door after a couple of minutes to catch Rich getting dressed. "What the hell?!" Kenickie was thinking the worst, hoping he was wrong. "Rich, what are you doing here? What's wrong with Rizzo?" Kenickie ran over to Rizzo who was passed out on the couch, half naked.

"Rizzo?" Rich asked. "What the hell type of name is that?" He had never heard anyone call her that before.

"Thats her last name. We called her that in high school." Kenickie was kneeling beside to the couch, trying to wake Rizzo up.

"Thats not her last name, her last name is Kingston. You knew her in high school?" Kenickie ignored the question and wondered why Richard didn't care about the fact that Rizzo wouldn't wake up. Kenickie was a little drunk still from their ron-dé-vu (Author's note: pronounce as spelled, I don't know how to spell it!) they had had that morning to a couple of bars, but he knew he wasn't passed out and he wasn't dreaming this.

"Hey, wait a second." Kenickie started, "Your last name is Kingston... oh my god! Rizzo is your wife?"

"Not anymore, I'm done with her," Rich pulled his shirt over his head and struggled to get in on all the way. "you can have her." Rich said to Kenickie. "I had a nice time babe." He said to the passed out Riz and stumbled out the door.

Kenickie tried to pay more attention to Rizzo than to his racing thoughts.

"Riz, Riz, wake up. RIZZO!" He slapped her cheeks lightly to try to wake her, and after a minute or so, she was awake.

"Huh, what. Stop it, stop it... cut it out!" Rizzo said drearily as she started to feel the hand that was annoyingly patting her face. She started to sit up, when she noticed something. "What the... where the hell are my pants?" She yelled, and then put two and two together in her head. She slapped Kenickie who was still kneeling beside her. "What the hell did you do to me?" Rizzo was confused, and scared, and again, feeling sick, but as Kenickie explained that he had walked in while she was asleep on the couch and Rich was getting dressed, she wanted to die. She grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped herself in it. "What time is it?" Rizzo asked.

"3:32" Kenickie answered.

"Damn it, I'm a half an hour late to pick up Margaret." Rizzo tried to stop the name before she could get it all the way out, but it was too late.

"Margaret? Who's that?" Kenickie asked while he helped Rizzo stand up. She didn't need help but he wanted to help her anyway.

"Umm... my daughter." Rizzo said, not looking him in the eye and wrapping the blanket more securely around her.

"Your's and Rich's?" Kenickie asked, suddenly feeling sorry for the little girl he had met three days ago. Richard was her father.

"Ya." Rizzo answered. She leaned over and grabbed her pants off the floor, and then walked down the hall into the room that she had been calling her bedroom for the past 3 days. She had started changing when the phone rang. She fixed her shirt before picking up the phone.

"Hello?" Rizzo asked, sleepily.

"Riz, where were you? The school called me and told me you hadn't picked up Margaret yet. Don't worry. I wen't and got her and were gonna go to the mall quickly to get her some new shoes, okay?" Sandy spoke into the phone.

"Um, ya. Thats great, thank you, Sandy." Rizzo said.

"Okay, were gonna go now, we'll see you when we get home! Bye." Sandy hung up.

Rizzo finished getting dressed and walked back into the living room to fix the couch. She walked in to find Kenickie sitting on the couch, taking a puff of his cigarette.

"You still smoke those awful things?" Rizzo said, shooing him from the couch so she could put the pillows back on it.

"Well, when did you stop smoking? You used to be the poster girl for cigarettes." Kenickie pointed out something that had been well know in their school years. She smoked a couple packs a day until she became pregnant.

"The year right after graduation." Rizzo said, although, she did not explain 'why'.

"Wan't one?" Kenickie offered Rizzo a cigarette.

"Ewe, no." coughed Rizzo when Kenickie blew smoke in her face.

"You look so hot." Kenickie said when Rizzo bent over to pick up the magazine that had been knocked onto the floor. It was clear to Rizzo Kenickie was drunk too. Ever since she married Rich, it was so easy to tell if people were sober or not.

"Kenickie, stop it." Rizzo said and folded the blanket that had been shielding Kenickie's view.

"I missed you so, so much." Kenickie said and pulled her next to him on the couch. She was sitting right next to him, and again, she could smell the beer on his breath.

"Well, I- I missed you to." Rizzo stuttered. Maybe they should wait until he was sober for them to have this type of a talk. What if the beers were making him say this? She could already feel herself falling in love all over again. She left Rydell to shield herself from the pain of loving him, and here she was.

"Come here." Kenickie pulled her in and they kissed. It was a long, good, kiss like the one they had shared at the fair at the end of school 4 years earlier.


	9. THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M JUST IN CASE…

'*'

The next morning Rizzo woke up to the sound of Sandy and Danny talking in the kitchen. She got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face, and then brushed her teeth. She started to think about what happened the day before with Rich. She felt so dirty. She spit out the toothpaste and then gargled mouth wash. Sandy was feeding Anne, Danny was making the coffee, and Margaret was at the table eating cereal when Rizzo walked into the kitchen.

"Good mornin'" Rizzo said as she entered through the doorway.

"Hi, Mommie! Look at my new shoes!" Margaret said in between bites of Rice Krispies coated in sugar. She lifted up her foot to show her mother the shoes she was so proud of.

"Cute." Rizzo said approvingly. "Did you thank Sandy for taking you shopping?"

""Thank you." Margaret's voice was muffled by the cereal that filled her mouth.

"How much do I owe ya?" Rizzo asked as she pored her beloved cup of coffee. She stood there with her hands wrapped around the mug and felt the mug slowly heat up.

"Oh, nothing. It's on me." Sandy started, "We had fun, didn't we Maggs?" Margaret nodded continuously.

"Oh, thanks Sandy." Rizzo sat down at the table with the rest of the gang when Kenickie strolled through the door.

"Hey Danny, wanna give me a ride to work? My car's still in the shop." Kenickie walked over and made himself a cup of coffee. It was a good thing that Rizzo felt more at ease around Kenickie now, because apparently, she would see him a lot now. They had talked the night before, before Sandy and Maggs got home, and after their "rekindling." She still hadn't told him that Margaret was his, but she would wait a while, if she even told him at all. What was the sense of telling him if she would just be there for a little longer. It would just complicate things even more, and like she needed more of that.

"Sure, but you'll be late, because I'm going in late today."

"I can't be late Danny, I'll get fired, again. You can only sleep with your boss so many times before she figures out you're just using her to get your job back."

"Kenickie!" Sandy scolded and motioned to Margaret.

"Ya," Riz started, "Thats the last thing I need, Margaret to start talking like Kenickie, wouldn't that be great?" She sipped her coffee, then remembering she hadn't put in sugar or cream and she grimaced at the bitter taste. Kenickie stared at her, but she wouldn't look back, no matter how bad she wanted to. The way he was looking at her was the same way he had in high school. He was giving away what had happened last night, just by looking at her. Sandy shot Rizzo a look of shock. Rizzo could read Sandy's expression: I want all the details!

"Danny, you can take Kenickie into work, then bring Anne to the babysitter, then bring Maggs to kindergarden, and then you can go to work. You'll most likely get there when you had planned, plus, it would really help Riz and me out." Sandy and Rizzo made puppy faces teasingly at Danny.

"Oh, okay! Come on Maggs." he went and picked up Anne. "Lets go." Then he Maggs, Kenickie, and Anne were out the door.

Sandy leaned in,

"What happened between you guys?" Sandy asked.

"Do you want the full story or just the dirty parts?" Rizzo teased, standing up to get sugar for her coffee.

"The full story." Sandy said, leaning forward.

"Okay," Rizzo started. "So," She was stalling, and she knew it, they both knew it. "I was here, alone, when Danny came to the door and asked me to let him in because he forgot his keys. So I did." Rizzo paused, waiting for the look of shock to cross Sandy's face.

"And?" Sandy said, coaxing Rizzo to continue.

Rizzo realized she hadn't stated all the details.

"Oh! But.... it wasn't Danny.... it was Richard." Rizzo finished.

"Jesus Christ." Sandy leaned back in her chair. "How did he find you?"

"I don't know." Rizzo let out a sigh, preparing for the next part in her story. "And then," she swallowed hard. "he forced me onto the couch, and started to take my clothes off." Sandy gasped. "He had been drinking, and when I tried to scream for help, he covered my mouth and nose. He wouldn't let go and before I knew it, I blacked out."

"Oh my God!" Sandy finally spoke. "And then what?"

"Well, when I woke up, I didn't have any pants on, and Kenickie was sitting next to me, well, kneeling on the floor, trying to wake me up. He said he had seen Rich putting on his pants, and leaving. Rich had said he was 'done with me.' I hope he rots in hell that son-of-a-bitch." Rizzo took a sip of her coffee.

"But," Sandy was shocked. "Aren't you going to call the police?"

"The POLICE? No way, he's got friends in the force, they'll sooner believe him over me." I'm screwed, Rizzo thought.

"Did u use, you know..." Sandy couldn't even say it. What a goodie-two-shoes. Rizzo was shocked that after all the hard work the Pink Ladies had done to make Sandy cool, she couldn't even finish this sentence.

"Protection?" Rizzo finished her thought for her. Sandy nodded. "Well, I wasn't prepared, and I don't think he even owns 'Protection'. Sandy, this isn't the first time he's done this to me. This is the first time it has happened out of our house, but it's not the first time." Suddenly a tinge of panic rushed through both of the women.

"What if..." Sandy started, but she didn't have to finish. Rizzo knew what she was talking about, and she prayed it wasn't true.

Rizzo quickly got off the topic. She wasn't pregnant, she couldn't be pregnant. Not now, not ever, not with him.

"Anyway, Kenickie stayed over and talked for a while. He was trying to convince me to go to the police, but I told him the same thing I told you. Like I said before, this isn't the first time, but, I usually was awake when it happened!" Rizzo laughed, making a joke SHE thought was funny. Sandy was not amused.

"Rizzo." She scolded her for the stupid joke. "So," Sandy started back on their conversation. "You guys just 'talked'?"

"Jeeze, you think I'm gonna get raped and then do it with the next guy I see?" Rizzo joked, still trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, I'm just glad Danny wasn't the first one you saw." Sandy laughed.

"Sandy!" Now Rizzo and Sandy were both laughing, but secretly worrying about many things.


	10. Just When I Thought It Was Getting Good

Three weeks later, Margaret came walking through the door with a new friend, Abbi. She walked straight through into her new room, sat down, and started contently playing Barbie with Abbi. After her came Rizzo, her arms filled with two backpacks and daycare art projects. She threw it all down on the sofa and walked into the kitchen and started to make the girls lunches.

"Wow, you're finding your way around here well, aren't you?" Rizzo turned around to see Danny standing at the door.

"Well, I've been here for a while now." She replied. She walked from end to end of the kitchen, gathering plates, cups, bread, and everything else she needed.

"So, how are you doin'?" Danny walked in and stood next to her. Rizzo placed a slice of ham onto a piece of bread, and Danny picked it right up and ate it.

"Hey!" Rizzo smiled and playfully hit him in the stomach. She placed another piece down on the bread and Danny picked it up again and ate it. "Knock it off! Would ya!" She laughed.

"I gotta eat too!" Danny said, and just grabbed the pack from her and ate the ham right out from it.

"So, where's your wife?" Rizzo asked, wondering why Sandy hadn't been home like she always was when Rizzo brought Maggs home from school.

"She had to take Anne to the pediatrician, she had a cough this morning and it got pretty bad by this afternoon." Danny said, and Rizzo could hear the nervousness in his voice.

"Aww, I hope she's not getting sick." Rizzo said.

"Me too…" Danny's voice trailed off.

"Wow…" Rizzo stated.

"Wow what?"

"It's just that… I never pictured you so, um, touchy-feely."

"It's my daughter, Rizzo… I'm not touchy-feely." Danny said sharply.

"You are, Danny." Rizzo laughed to break the awkwardness that had set in between them, "In the past three weeks I have seen you play with and talk baby talk to Anne, play BARBIES with Maggs, and you have given in so many times to Sandy! Not the Danny Zuco I used to know."

"Well, at least I didn't turn into a WIMP!" Danny hollered, he was obviously taking their conversation too far.

"Excuse me?!" Rizzo said.

"Are you or are you not the one who just ran away from her husband??" Danny asked, a question that brought tears to Rizzo's eyes, but she wasn't gonna cry.

"Did you really just shoot that low?" Rizzo asked, painfully holding back tears.

"And, were you or were you not RAPED by that same man? The Rizzo I used to know would have killed him before she would let him lay a hand on her. What is wrong with you?"

"Danny!" Rizzo cried, her voice cracking.

"Come on, fight back BETTY!" Danny tempted.

Rizzo ran out of the kitchen before she did anything crazy, and Danny called after her:

"That's what I thought."

He hadn't changed in one area, Rizzo thought, he's still a jack ass. She ran to her room and closed the door, sliding down the side of it onto the floor. She couldn't believe what had just happened. They had turned a nice conversation into a hurtful fight. Rizzo cried, overwhelmed with emotion, when she heard a gentle knock on the door.

"Mommie," Magg's voice was soft and quiet, "What about lunch?"


	11. I Have To Tell You Something

**LOL I don't feel like editing this… so sorry if there are some mess ups! This is the last chapter I have written and typed… so it will be a while before I update again! :D**

'*'

A couple of days had passed, but Rizzo and Danny were not talking. Sandy and Kenickie didn't know what had happened, but they sensed some tension. One day, Sandy decided to speak up.

"What is up with you two?" She asked after observing them make sandwiches in the kitchen together without a word.

"Nothing," Rizzo said, trying not to sound cross as she walked out of the kitchen with her food.

"What did you do to her?" Sandy asked Danny once she was out of hearing distance.

"Why do you automatically assume it was me?" Danny demanded.

"Because Rizzo is too hurt right now to say anything mean! I mean, well, be herself."

"That's right. This isn't Rizzo, this is wimpy Betty. Do you hear that Rizzo! It's not just me!" Danny's voice got increasingly louder as his sentence continued, trying to prove his point to Rizzo, who was out of hearing reach.

"What?" Sandy questioned, trying to find out what that whole episode was about, but Danny just walked away, leaving Sandy speechless.

'*'

Kenickie walked through the front door, smoking a cigarette.

"Kenickie?" Rizzo hollered from her bedroom.

"How'd you know it was me?" Kenickie questioned. He put his cigarette out on his pants and threw it out the door.

"I could smell ya." Rizzo said as she walked into the room.

"So," Kenickie started.

"Ya?" Rizzo said after a minute of waiting for Kenickie to finish his thought.

"Sandy said you and Danny were being weird."

"Oh, it's nothing." Rizzo went to the door and shut it.

"You sure?" He asked. He actually sounded concerned. Maybe he still has feelings for me, Rizzo thought and hid her smile.

"Ya, I'm sure."

'*'

Dinner later that day was very awkward. Kenickie had stayed the rest of the day and invited himself to dinner. The kid's were at the sitter's, and it was just the adults there for dinner. They were all sitting around the dining table, Rizzo opposite from Danny. They were not talking or making eye contact throughout the whole meal, no matter how many times Kenickie or Sandy would try to make them. Sandy decided to change the topic.

"Danny, I need you to take Anne to the Pediatrician on Friday at 12:00. Rizzo and I are going out to lunch."

"But I'm going to a basketball game with Kenickie on Friday." Danny's wimpy argument had no effect on Sandy.

"What is more important, basketball or your daughter?" Sandy questioned, knowing she'd get the answer she wanted.

"Fine." Danny gave in.

Rizzo coughed after swallowing a piece of food the wrong way. Danny, however, thought she was laughing at him.

"Just come out and say it!" He hollered across the table.

"Say what?" Rizzo snapped.

"Say that I'm a softy, that I give in and I am pretty much just a girl in man's clothing! I know your thinking it!"

"I wasn't thinking it, but I am now." Rizzo said, building her courage. "You are a total softy! You give in ALL the time and you are pretty much just a girl in man's clothing!!" Rizzo's voice built as she spoke. "Now do you think I'm a wimp!? I'll beat the tar outa ya just to prove that you are wrong and the old Rizzo's still in here!" She stood up fiercely , knocking her chair over in the process.

"You wouldn't hit me even if you wanted to!" Danny taunted.

At that, Rizzo pounced at him, taking a swing with her fist that was destined to land on Danny's face. Danny clutched his profusely bleeding nose and fell back in his chair. Sandy rushed to him with napkins while Kenickie got a hold of Rizzo. She pulled to get out of his clutch, but he held on tight, no matter how many times she elbowed him in the stomach.

"There!" She yelled, "Serves you right! You had NO RIGHT to say ANYTHING about me and Richard!" She pulled harder against Kenickie's grasp but he restrained her. All of the sudden, she stopped pulling. She suddenly felt dizzy and realized she needed to stop and breath. Kenickie felt her shaking and let go, suddenly scared at what would happen next. She rushed to her room and ran to the bed, letting tears erupt from her with no restraint. After a couple of minutes, Rizzo heard the door open, and then close. She felt someone make their way toward her and she quickly wiped away her tears. It was Kenickie, and he sat down on the bed with her, and held her. She felt safe with him, like that was where she was supposed to be.

"You don't have to stop on my account." He said softly. But she refused to cry in front of him. Instead, she just sat there, safe in her own little world. Just her and Kenickie, like she always felt it should be. She wanted badly to tell him the truth about Margaret, but she felt it would only make matters worse. After a minute or so, he turned her to him and pulled her closer. The anticipation built as they leaned in, closer and closer, until they finally touched. Her lips were soft and his strong as a gentle peck turned into a passionate kiss.

"Kenickie, I have something I need to tell you," Rizzo whispered once they parted.

'*'


	12. The Ugly Truth

**This is really short, but SOMEONE has been so persistant on my getting another part up (seriosly, I got a note about it almost every day since I last updated), I figured I would. This is for you XxLiLxHoTtYxX :D 3**

**Okay, please enjoy… PLEASE! ;)**

"Yes?" Kenickie said, kissing her neck as she spoke.

"Um... well... Kenickie, can you stop for a second?" Rizzo pushed him away.

"Come on, Riz!" He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer, but she pulled back again.

"Kenickie, stop!"

"Come on, babe!"

"Kenickie, this is serious!"

"What could be so serious?"

"Margaret if yours!" she blurted, not realizing she had until after she did it.

Kenickie backed away. "What do you mean... 'mine?'"

"I mean... yours." Rizzo said, realizing she would not be able to lie.

"What?" Kenickie stood.

"Senior year, back in high school, back of your car, the broken condom." She looked at him. "Then at the drive through, I had told Marty that I thought I might have been pregnant, I didn't want you to know. I wasn't sure, and I didn't want to cause any drama. But, her and her big mouth. I felt so bad; you were so worried about me at the fair. I had to tell you something. I knew... that I was.... but I didn't want you to know. That's why, right after the fair, I took off." Rizzo waited for a reply, of which she never got. Kenickie grabbed his coat off the hook on the back of the door before storming out with out another word. Rizzo tried calling after him, but she couldn't get words to come out of her mouth, she just sobbed. She had hurt someone she really, really... _loved_.


	13. Guess What Happened Now!

**Had to fix something quickly, will repost now! I hope you like it! Bet you weren't thinking this was gonna happen! :D**

'*"

"Mommie?" Maggs opened the door to her mother's room. She saw the still form lying in the bed, unmoving and quiet. It was 2 in the afternoon, and her mom was still not out of bed, like it had been for the past two weeks. "Mommie, it's time to cut the cake. Aunt Sandy told me to come get you." It was Danny's birthday party and Rizzo was missing it. So was Kenickie, for that matter. Kenickie hadn't been around since that night, and although Sandy and Danny could already guess what had happened, they didn't dare to ask. "Are you coming?" Maggs asked. Her mother didn't answer. "Mommie?" she asked again. Still no reply. Maggs closed the door and ran out to Sandy who was in the kitchen putting hors d'oeuvres onto serving platters.

"Hey, sweetie. Is she coming?" Sandy asked as she saw the little girl come around the corner.

"No, Mommie wasn't in there." Maggs walked up and took an hors d'oeuvre from the platter.

Sandy didn't take the time to reply. She came rushing to Rizzo's room.

"Rizzo?" she whispered into the room. There was no answer. She ran to the bed and threw back the sheets. Rizzo wasn't there. Sandy looked around the room, puzzled at where Rizzo could have gone without them seeing her leave her room.

It was then that she heard an almost distant whimpering. She turned and followed the sound to the bathroom that was connected to Rizzo's room. Sandy put her ear to the door and the whimpering grew louder. Sandy didn't bother to knock as she flung open the door. Aware that Sandy was now in the room, Rizzo did not look up, but kept trying to stifle her tears. She was sitting on the side of the tub with what looked like a thermometer in her hand. "Rizzo?" Sandy walked closer but Rizzo still didn't look up. "Hun, what's wrong?" she sat next to Rizzo on the tub.

"I want to die!" Rizzo sobbed.

"What? Don't say something like that."

"No! I really just want to drop dead! This is horrible! Completely horrible and I don't wanna live!"

"What could be that bad?" Sandy asked. Rizzo handed Sandy the thermometer. But it wasn't a thermometer. It was a pregnancy test. A positive pregnancy test.

"Bu--But..." Sandy stuttered.

"It's from when Rich came here!" Rizzo cried, "It has to be!"

"Just calm down," Sandy tried to speak calmly, but found it to be a hard task at the moment.

"I can't calm down! I have to think of what I'm gonna do!"

"What do you mean 'what your gonna do'?"

"I mean how I'm gonna get the money for an abortion!"

"No, Rizzo! That's just wrong! You've said it yourself, you can't kill your own child!"

"I'm not going to have that man's baby!"

"Rizzo, just give it a little thought before you jump into anything." Sandy spoke softly.

"I have given it thought." Rizzo spoke quietly and looked to the floor.

"You can't be serious!" Sandy's tone was flat and low.

"I am. I've already made up my mind." She looked up at Sandy as she spoke. "Can you imagine the pain I'd have to go through? Every time I would look at that child, I would think of him, and what he did to me. I can't go through that, Sandy, not again. Every time I look at Margaret, I remember how it felt to lie to Kenickie, and now I keep thinking about that night two weeks ago. I can't stand it, Sandy."

"Oh, Rizzo!" she held Rizzo to her, trying to think of the alternate options. "What about adoption?"

"No, adoptions always get messed up at some point."

"Than I will take it, I will not let you kill your own child."

Rizzo's agrivation grew at having someone tell her what she could and could not do and she stood, "You will let me do what ever the hell I want!" she stormed out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Sandy called after and followed her into the other room.

"Out," Rizzo replied as she hurriedly got dressed and forced a brush through her hair. She got the weirdest feeling that she had had this conversation before.

_"Where are you going?" Mrs. Rizzo shouted to her new step-daughter._

_"Out!" 17 year old Betty hollered back._

_"Oh no you're not!" Helen Rizzo ran and grabbed Betty's arm and restrained her from getting an inch closer to the door._

_"I'm just goin on a date, let me go, you old hag!" She yelled and snapped her arm away from Helen._

_"No! What makes you think that you can overrule what I say and what I order you to do?!"_

_"You can't ORDER me to do anything! You're not my Mother! Just because she's dead and my Dad forgot all about her doesn't mean you are my mother or will ever be! You can't replace her!"_

_Helen slapped Rizzo across the face and pointed a finger at her. "Don't you ever talk to me like that. I am the closest thing you'll ever have to a mother and you should be *ucking glad you have me!"_

_"I should be?!" Rizzo laughed, "You could never be anything close to a mother! Just because my Dad went out and picked up trash off the street, brought it home and said 'Hey, Betty, this is Helen.' doesn't mean I have to like you." She stormed out of the house and slammed the door behind her._

"Rizzo, you're not going... where I think you're going, are you?" Sandy asked, her voice jerking Rizzo out of the past.

"Yes, I am." Rizzo grabbed her coat from her closet, "I've made up my mind." she started to walk toward the door, but Sandy stood in her way. "Sandy, move!" she tried to push Sandy from the doorway but Sandy grabbed her arms.

"I can't let you do something we both know you'll regret." Sandy tried to talk sense into Rizzo, but she wouldn't hear it. She shoved Sandy from the doorway and stormed down the hallway.

'*'


	14. Chapter 14

**I've been sick today and yesterday so I thought I'd take advantage of the time I have off from work to type my next instalment. Yesterday, I had a show that opened and I preformed with a 100 degree temperature, now I'm setting out to do the same thing again. I hope you guys enjoy it! More soon to come!**

'*'

Rizzo walked the empty streets of Rydel. It was geting late, and most people were inside on this unusually chilly night of the year. She didn't know where she was going, but at this point, she didn't care. She did know one thing: she didn't want to have this baby. Her life was just getting good again, and Rich came back and screwed it all up. But, at the same time, deep down, she knew she didn't REALLY want to kill her own child, no matter who the father was.

Rizzo walked a little farther down the road until she came across the once familiar lawn of Rydel High. She sat on the rim of the fountain. Closing her eyes, she remembered all of the good things that happened there: she formed the pink ladies, se met Kenickie, and she and Kenickie became a couple. She smiled at the thought of him, but was pulled back into reality as she realized her hand was resting on her stomach, something she used to do all the time when she was pregnant. Rizzo then started thinking about her first pregnancy. She had been 17 and definitely not prepared. Freshly kicked out of home, she stayed with Frenchy and her parents, but only until she really started to show. Not wanting Frenchy's parents to find out about the baby and then tell her father and Helen, she moved out as soon as all of her old clothes started to get tight. She then moved in with Jan, who lived alone in an apartment downtown. Jan got money from her parents and helped pay for things for Rizzo, and every cent had been paid back since. She stayed with Jan right up to the last day of her pregnancy. That day had been crazy.

~Rizzo and Jan sat, watching TV. Jan sat on the couch, plowing popcorn into her mouth while Rizzo fidgeted on the recliner. She had felt uncomfortable all morning and just felt like she needed to keep moving. Being two weeks overdue didn't help things either. She struggled to stand, her large stomach waying her down.

"Rix, you okay?" Jan asked.

"Oh, ya, I'm just getting some water." She walked to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water. But as she poured, she felt something that felt like water run down her pant leg, followed by a brief pang of pain in her lower "woman area."

"Jan!" she yelled, not knowing what to do. Jan had been with her mother during her sibling's births, so Rizzo hoped she'd know what to do.

"Ya?" Jan came walking in the door with half a twinki in her mouth.

"I think my water just broke." Rizzo worried about the fact that she had litterally no idea what to do.

"Oh my gosh, this is so cool!" Jan said and ran to Rizzo, who was now almost folded in half in pain. Jan held her and they walked to their room. She sat Rizzo on her bed and got her a new pair of pants. Rizzo put them on while Jan packed the hospital bad. "Okay, first of all, you have to stay calm," something Rizzo was not. "Now, usually it's really long before the baby is actually born."

"What? How long?" Rizzo almost whimpered in pain, but she tried to do as Jan said and stay calm.

"Well, my mom said her labor with me lasted 18 hours." Jan flashed a smile, that little fact obviously making her feel special.

"18 hours! THIS for 18 hours!???" Rizzo wanted to die, then and there. No matter how many fist fights she had gotten into, everything she had had thrown at her, none of it compared to this pain at the slightest. She laid down on the bed, figuring it would be a while before they actually left.

Jan started to time the contractions, and three hours after the labor had started, they headed for the hospital.

Sweat rolled down Rizzo's face as she labored through another contraction. Jan had left to get coffee, so Rizzo was alone in her hospital room. As the contraction neared it's end, a doctor entered the room and checked on her.

"How are we doing today?" he checked her pulse and then moved beneath the sheets.

"Peechy-keen." Rizzo sarcastically replied.

"Well, is your husband on his way?" he asked, looking up at her.

"I'm not married." she said.

"Well, then we don't have to worry about him missing it. You're about ready to get started."

Rizzo felt her heart leap into her throat. She was very nervous, but wanted to get it over with.

After another 15 minutes of nurses in and out of the room, high stress levels, and agonizing pain, it was all brought to an end by a baby's cry. Rizzo leaned back on the bed, relieved that it was all over. She was not prepared for this next moment. Nothing could have prepared her for this overwhelming feeling of love and admiration as the doctor walked toward her with a tiny baby in his arms. He placed the little baby in it's mother's arms and Rizzo felt her eyes fill with tears, happy tears, for the first time. She moved the pink blanket that was blocking her view of her daughter's face. As soon as Rizzo saw the last person leave the room, she let the tears flow from her eyes. She didn't know how she was going to pay for her daughter, and she had promised Jan she'd move out as soon as the baby was born, but none of that mattered at the moment as the baby looked up into Rizzo's eyes. Rizzo felt a sudden warmth wash over her, and it told her that they were going to be okay.~


	15. Ch14 and a half

**Probably the shortest chapter I've ever posted. Sry bout that! I have NO time to write, so I found a little section I've already written just to tide you guys over for a couple of days! I promise I'll write soon, but this will have to do for now! Sry!**

'*'

Rizzo walked back through the doors of Sandy's house with her head hung. She didn't want to admit Sandy was right, but she knew she was. Rizzo knew she could never kill her own child by having an abortion. Margaret ran to her and threw her arms around Rizzo's waist, about as high as she could reach.

"Mommie! Mommie! Mommie's home!" she yelled, getting the attention of Sandy who was pacing in the kitchen. She started to come to them when Rizzo stopped her.

"I don't wanna hear anything. I will admit that I was being stupid earlier, but I have come to my senses, now if you will excuse me, I'm going to bed. I'm a little more tired than usual at the moment." her tone was even. "Maggs, would you care to join me?"

"I'd be delighted." she bowed. She had obviously been watching too many princess movies.

"Rizzo." a voice called from behind her. She turned to see Danny standing in the doorway of the kitchen. No words were spoken as they silently made amends. She knew she couldn't make it through her situation alone. She knew she needed love and support, and she knew Danny could give her both. She turned back around, picking up Margaret and walking back down the hallway to her room.

Setting her on the end of the bed, Rizzo kneeled on the floor, taking her daughter's hands in her own.

"Honey, I need to talk to you."

"What is it Mommie?" Maggs asked sweetly.

"Well, something new is coming. Something you're not used to." Rizzo tried to think of how to explain the new baby to her in a way she'd understand. "Do you like having Anne around the house?"

"Yes. Is she leaving?"

"No," Rizzo laughed, "there's gonna be another baby around the house soon."

"Really?" Maggs' face lit up at the idea.

"Yes, Mommie is gonna have a baby. Would you like that?" Rizzo asked, although Maggs' opinion wouldn't change the fact, she wanted to know how she was going to take it.

"Does that mean I'm not gonna be your baby anymore?" she questioned, her eyes filling with fear.

"No, of coarse not!" she stood up, picking Maggs up and hugging her to her. "You're always gonna be my baby! Even when you're 40!" Maggs giggled at the though, more of the thought of being 40 than the fact that she'd still be her mom's baby.

"Then yes."

"Yes what?"

"I'd like that!"

For once, they were both happy.


	16. And Everything Came Back

**Here's my ALMOST last update. I realize now how crappy my writing is in this story, and was wondering if I could make it up with a sequel. Would anyone read it? Anyway, hope u guys enjoy! Last chapter soon! :D**

Five months passed, and life went along smoothly for Rizzo. She and Danny were back to normal, lightening the stress on the household. Maggs pre-school was going along well, Rizzo being told repeatedly that her daughter was brilliant for her age. The pregnancy was going extremely well, the baby was healthy and strong. Kenickie still wasn't coming around, and Rizzo stopped expecting him to. She had hoped that he would be happy to know that Maggs was his daughter, not angry and sad. But she stopped looking back and began looking forward. Forward onto a new life, a new and happy one.

Rizzo sat in the living room of the quiet house. She was used to being alone now. She still didn't have a job, and there was no use going to look for one now, who would hire a 6 month pregnant woman? She was reading a book she had started a week earlier, which she was almost done with. She had read and finished 13 books since she first got pregnant. Most of them were about pregnancy, others were murder mysteries, and she thoroughly enjoyed reading those.

No longer in the mood for reading, she set down her book on the coffee table and ventured into the kitchen, looking for something to do. She began cleaning the counters and cleaning out the fridge when the door rang.

"Coming!" she yelled, quickly rinsing off her hands and wiping them dry on her shirt as she raced to the door. She looked through the peep hole they had gotten installed, and her heart skipped a beat. She opened the door, the look of shock spreading throughout her face.

"Hey." Rizzo managed to whisper.

"Hey." Kenickie said back. They stood there for a moment, not speaking. She watched him as his eyes searched her, landing on her pregnant stomach. Danny must have told him, because he did not seem surprised. He looked back into her eyes. "Can I come in?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, of coarse." She opened the door all the way, letting him walk in. Kenickie walked into the living room as Rizzo shut the door. "Would you like to sit down?" she gestured to the couch.

"Sure." he walked and sat on the couch and Rizzo sat across from him in the chair.

"So," Rizzo tried to fill the awkward silence. "why are you here?"

"I just-" he paused, running his hands through his hair in a nervous way, "I wanted to talk about... about what u told me last time."

"What I told you? You mean when I told you you were a father and you abandoned me?"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I got scared! You can't tell a guy he has a kid and expect him to be relaxed about it!" he began to raise his voice, so Rizzo joined him.

"You could have at least tried to deal with it! You didn't have to run!"

"I did!" he shouted. "I did have to run, because I was afraid I was going to screw something up." he spoke this, almost down to a whisper, admitting his fear.

"I haven't heard from you in almost 6 months." Rizzo looked him in the eyes, saying to him much more than her spoken words.

"I'm sorry." Rizzo couldn't believe she had heard those words from this man. Some one who never said sorry. He was too much of a man. To strong to say such weak words.

"Are you ready to be sorry? Are you ready to become a part of your daughter's life?" her eyes were glazed over with tears.

"Yes. I want to be there for you two... for you three." he corrected himself, lowering his gaze again to her stomach.

"You don't have to be there for this." she pointed to her belly, standing up and walking for a second. "This, is not your problem."

"Maggs isn't my problem either. She's my responsibility, not my problem. She's my daughter, I would never think of her as a problem." he stood and walked to Rizzo, placing his hands on her shoulders. "And I love you. I want to be with you. With them."

It took Rizzo a few minutes to comprehend what he had just said, but when she did, her eyes widened and a smile began to break through her carefully places scowl.

"Do you mean it?" her high-school flirting came into play. It was just like the old Kenickie and Rizzo.

"I do."

"Good. I'll be holding you to that." Kenickie laughed.

"I gotta love you, kid."

"Same here, kid."

Rizzo pulled her in and they kissed. Rizzo felt a tingle envelope her whole body. Kenickie was finally back, and she couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with him. After a few moments, they just held each other in their arms.

"Woah!" Kenickie jumped back, "What'd I do?"

Rizzo laughed at him, placing his hand on her stomach, "The baby's kicking."

"Wow, that feels weird." he said, joining Rizzo in her laughter.

"You're telling me."

"He must be glad I'm back too, then." he shot her a flirting glance.

"Ya, that's gotta be it."

They laughed and held each other again, never wanting to let go.

**Review please! The more reviews the faster I update! :D**


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